HELLO!
Some of you may know me from other 4runner forums but i've been here lurking for sometime now, as i feel my truck is just now getting to a build state that i can start considering overlanding an option and may actually have something intelligent to contribute (we'll see about that) i thought i'd start a build thread here with some of intentions and a little bit of guidance from the people i fell more akin to then the rock crushers on other forums, after all, the solitude i lust after is measured in miles and not feet, i don't care about how big of a rock i went over, i care about how far i made it from that rock on my chest called civilization, i'm sure you guys can relate. So i'll just dive right into it,

i have a 1999 4Runner with factory e locker and 240k on the clock, all standard maintenance is taken care of and almost all running gear is up to snuff.
the modification i have made are as follows

now for some pics:
the day i bought it home:
http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m194/THEIZZARDKING/DSC00961-1.jpg

After i got hit buy a Bus and the city of seattle bought me a new bumper:
http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m194/THEIZZARDKING/IMG_0432.jpg

first big trip in the 4Runner, yellowstone,Yosemite,moab,arches and zion, all one trip not in that order, lol
http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m194/THEIZZARDKING/036.jpg
http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m194/THEIZZARDKING/033.jpg
http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m194/THEIZZARDKING/432.jpg
http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m194/THEIZZARDKING/459.jpg
http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m194/THEIZZARDKING/IMG_1404.jpg
http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m194/THEIZZARDKING/4runner/32459_1528132482814_1219748752_1527593_8386882_n.j pg
http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m194/THEIZZARDKING/4runner/32459_1528131842798_1219748752_1527584_6226067_n.j pg
http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m194/THEIZZARDKING/681.jpg
http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m194/THEIZZARDKING/680.jpg
http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m194/THEIZZARDKING/8130_1248735458063_1219748752_77612.jpg

some of the mods i made:
sway bar drop block
http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m194/THEIZZARDKING/2011-10-19121943.jpg
crappy rear sleeping platform, it did work well though for a few weeks, just not pretty....
http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m194/THEIZZARDKING/IMG_0902.jpg
http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m194/THEIZZARDKING/IMG_0901.jpg
http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m194/THEIZZARDKING/IMG_0897.jpg
screen for the desert, rare earth mag's with felt and sunshade from wall mart $20 total
http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m194/THEIZZARDKING/DSC01125.jpg
http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m194/THEIZZARDKING/DSC01134.jpg

my lift
http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m194/THEIZZARDKING/DSC01673.jpg
my tires and wheels , the wheels weren't my choice the shop threw them in for free to get me to buy the tires as my stock rims wouldn't clear, wrong backspacing
http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m194/THEIZZARDKING/IMG_2109.jpg

Theizzardking

12-13-2011, 04:46 PM

and finally as she sits now
http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m194/THEIZZARDKING/IMG_2112.jpg
http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m194/THEIZZARDKING/i.jpg
http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m194/THEIZZARDKING/4runner/2011-11-13184452.jpg
http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m194/THEIZZARDKING/4runner/2011-11-13184527.jpg
http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m194/THEIZZARDKING/4runner/2011-11-13184628.jpg

ok, that's that, this week i plan on picking up some sliders,winch, and a few other toys to help me along my way, later this summer i plan on running the oregon outback discovery trail solo as far as reasonable for such a thing, i haven't fully researched the trail to understand what all is involved but im fairly confident i can do a good portion of it solo,with good maps and a good 2m radio set-up and worse case in central Oregon terrain i feel i can cover around 20 miles a day on foot as the crow flies as i'm used to doing 50 mile circuits in the north cascades with massive elevation gains, i feel like i don't need to defend this decision too much here, as most of you are lone wolves as well and understand the difference between risk vs reward and just plain stupidity , like i said haven't looked into it fully yet and if it gets to hairy i'll either avoid that portion all together and hit pavement or find another safer route around or just not run the trail at all and go somewhere else/backtrack, i'll say this a solo mountain climber and former SAR volunteer as well, solo isn't necessarily bad it's the over confidence that gets ya and having people know where you are and having a check in schedule can be the difference between life and death, among other things. So with that said and if i still have a few of you out there.. you got any suggestions of where i should start and what i should do to my rig to bring in on par with what most of you are getting by with ?that would be great,also if there is some other crucial and piece of kit you guys recommend over the winch and sliders i'm all ears as i was also considering some rear coils and a few other things in lieu
of what i have planned.

thanks a ton guys and love what most of you have done with your rigs, just awesome stuff guys, awesome!

Any PNW guys out there with some good overland trail in our state?

Theizzardking

12-13-2011, 04:46 PM

RESERVED

Logans91XJ

12-13-2011, 05:32 PM

I'm in! gonna follow this and watch should be great. My roommate has a 99 4runner and the thing runs great and great platform for wheeling. If you are gonna buy a winch I would also make a plate for the rear that would allow you to attach the winch to the trailer hitch and let you run it in the rear if need be. I would also pick up several pull straps and a tree saver and some snatch blocks. Nothing wrong with running solo. I do it on my motorcycle all the time.

4x4x4doors

12-13-2011, 05:53 PM

After i got hit buy a Bus and the city of seattle bought me a new bumper:
<snip>
crappy rear sleeping platform, it did work well though for a few weeks, just not pretty....
<snip>
my tires and wheels , the wheels weren't my choice the shop threw them in for free to get me to buy the tires as my stock rims wouldn't clear, wrong backspacing

Nice of Seattle to do that for you. I had to buy my own front bumper. ;)

I generally sleep with my eyes closed so the lack of pretty on the sleeping platform doesn't strike me as a bad thing. You did say you were headed for solitude so the appearance shouldn't be a hindrance. Does it work? Does it do the job?

Free wheels that work would have been my first choice as well. They do appear to be round enough to hold the tires so they qualify as a SCORE to me.

I'm a relative newcomer here as well and while the chatter will definitely wander towards the glammer aspects, you aren't likely to find many serious negative comments on the functional, as long as its functional and by golly, you're out there doing it instead of just talking about it. More of us ought to be following your lead.

I'm tuned in! Be safe, take and share lots of pictures!

Theizzardking

12-13-2011, 06:08 PM

I'm in! gonna follow this and watch should be great. My roommate has a 99 4runner and the thing runs great and great platform for wheeling. If you are gonna buy a winch I would also make a plate for the rear that would allow you to attach the winch to the trailer hitch and let you run it in the rear if need be. I would also pick up several pull straps and a tree saver and some snatch blocks. Nothing wrong with running solo. I do it on my motorcycle all the time.

hey that's a good idea, you got any examples i can look at? i'm having a hard time trying to visualize how that would work with the wiring and trying to get the winch out the front and to the back all together?
thanks a lot man, i hope to make this something i can be proud of ,learn a few things along the way and maybe be able to help share that with others who are as lost as i am, whether it be lost out in the great wide open or lost under their truck trying to figure out WTF like we all do, lol,

i'll be doing sliders at the very least in the next week or so thanks to christmas, i plan on going with the stubbs sliders here
http://www.stubbswelding.com/page2.html

and am trying to decide between the hd-sko's ;ultimate-sko's, or the rubicon-sko's
i'm loving the double kick out on the rubi's but don't know if i can justify the extra cost over the other 2, and i'm not sure if the ultimate's would be overkill for someone who is going to have their butt pucker from even using a slider in the first place.
you know? I'd rather not have to use them, i just want to get where i'm going with the least amount of drama possible and enjoy the ride along the way.

OldSven

12-13-2011, 06:11 PM

Cool another NW 4runner up here! Rig is looking good too by the way. To tell ya the truth I have done most of what can be done for overlanding on this side of the cascades and am starting to find out there is a lot more to be had over in eastern WA. There are some pretty cool runs out of yakima and ellensberg. Next year after the snow melts we will be making more trips that way. Let me know if there is any 4Runner stuff you have questions about.

Theizzardking

12-13-2011, 06:23 PM

Nice of Seattle to do that for you. I had to buy my own front bumper. ;)

I generally sleep with my eyes closed so the lack of pretty on the sleeping platform doesn't strike me as a bad thing. You did say you were headed for solitude so the appearance shouldn't be a hindrance. Does it work? Does it do the job?

Free wheels that work would have been my first choice as well. They do appear to be round enough to hold the tires so they qualify as a SCORE to me.

I'm a relative newcomer here as well and while the chatter will definitely wander towards the glammer aspects, you aren't likely to find many serious negative comments on the functional, as long as its functional and by golly, you're out there doing it instead of just talking about it. More of us ought to be following your lead.

I'm tuned in! Be safe, take and share lots of pictures!

hey, i like your style! that was my kind of logic as well! And believe me i was very excited about being hit by the bus and in the way in which it hit me, i was actually smiling 15 mins after it happened, haha

to be on the level i've never done anything like some of the members of this board have done, it's just amazing-mindblowing-down right inspiring ! Very humbling to say the least..... i'm probably going to just keep quite for a bit and just listen for a while sprinkled with a stupid question every now and again, like do i really need $465 sliders?

Theizzardking

12-13-2011, 06:29 PM

Cool another NW 4runner up here! Rig is looking good too by the way. To tell ya the truth I have done most of what can be done for overlanding on this side of the cascades and am starting to find out there is a lot more to be had over in eastern WA. There are some pretty cool runs out of yakima and ellensberg. Next year after the snow melts we will be making more trips that way. Let me know if there is any 4Runner stuff you have questions about.

Sweet! i know of a few trail/logging roads/trails that cut from cle elum to wenatchee/mission ridge with some pretty cool stuff on it, it'd be good to meet up and have someone show me the ropes and tell me how crappy my set up is for what im wanting to do, lol

i was just checking out your rig a bit earlier in the pic thread, nice looking ride man, did you do the snorkel install yourself and all of the other relating waterproofing measures yourself? i could probably use a hand with alot of that, i assume it has come in handy a fair few times with all of the water features we have here in the WA? haha

If you care i'm up around mukilteo and stanwood,not to far off.

upcountry

12-14-2011, 01:47 PM

"After i got hit buy a Bus and the city of seattle bought me a new bumper:"

Now thats why my King COunty Bus Fare went up 25 cents per trip, to pay for that awesome bumper of yours.

I may try to put the nose of my truck in front of a bus!

NetDep

12-14-2011, 01:55 PM

Great looking rig - like others have said - great to see another PNW'r here!! Some very ambitious goals and you have done a lot so far!! Working on making mine respectable - but as you know - it's a process....

OldSven

12-14-2011, 03:00 PM

Yeah I have done all of the work on the runner myself with help from friends and family here and there. I also had a snorkel on my old Tacoma and besides waterproofing the snorkel system that was all I did and I had that rig with water up over my hood a number of times with no issues. The 4runner hasn't quite seen as much water action but is ready if the water crossing arises.

I was reading about a road that goes up from CleElum to Leavonworth on backroads that I would like to do next year. We just did Stampede pass up and over to Greenwater was a very cool run.

If you need help with an install or what not let me know, send me a PM if you have any questions. Oh, I sent you a PM out the drawer system if you are interested.

Theizzardking

12-15-2011, 12:28 AM

"After i got hit buy a Bus and the city of seattle bought me a new bumper:"

Now thats why my King COunty Bus Fare went up 25 cents per trip, to pay for that awesome bumper of yours.

I may try to put the nose of my truck in front of a bus!

haha, more like hiring impatient and incompetent bus drivers, the repair work was going to cost 1k and the arb was $600 otd. So i decided to leave the small dent and scratch on my fender and pocketed the rest, pretty cool all of the heavily damaged parts were replaced just by the arb and some cheap fogs from a flaps.

Theizzardking

12-15-2011, 12:32 AM

Great looking rig - like others have said - great to see another PNW'r here!! Some very ambitious goals and you have done a lot so far!! Working on making mine respectable - but as you know - it's a process....

right and quite the process it i$$$$.......! i'm hoping to get alot of things dialed in over the winter and doing a few small runs to test it all out before i head off, if you guys are doing any runs drop me a pm!

Theizzardking

12-15-2011, 12:45 AM

Yeah I have done all of the work on the runner myself with help from friends and family here and there. I also had a snorkel on my old Tacoma and besides waterproofing the snorkel system that was all I did and I had that rig with water up over my hood a number of times with no issues. The 4runner hasn't quite seen as much water action but is ready if the water crossing arises.

I was reading about a road that goes up from CleElum to Leavonworth on backroads that I would like to do next year. We just did Stampede pass up and over to Greenwater was a very cool run.

If you need help with an install or what not let me know, send me a PM if you have any questions. Oh, I sent you a PM out the drawer system if you are interested.

cool! i'll drop you a message if i need a hand and at the very least get some info on a few runs.

funny enough about the drawer system i saw it on craigslist a few days ago and really thought about it but i really think i need to construct my own, i really need some sort of sleeping platform integrated into it, if you think that would be easy enough drop me another PM, i didn't respond to the first one because i thought the notification was just an auto response for joining the forum , sorry bout that!

Theizzardking

08-06-2012, 05:16 PM

ok, so a little up date as i'm getting ready to put together another a build thread; but this happened to me about a month ago
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/118333-izzardkings-top-gear-special-trying-kill-4runner.html

i have since bought a like 4runner spec for spec and have begun building this one now, i have upgraded a few things and done things the way i should have from the get go before, i will start a new build thread and link to here since i have multiple threads floating around.

also, if you guys where at the overland rally in plain,wa this year get at me, i'm trying to find some pics ! here's what i've came up with so far
http://www.exploringelements.com/event-wa-overland-rally-2012/
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.333837316702550.77816.224594374293512&type=1
http://nwoverland.org/Content/EventPhotos/tabid/208/Default.aspx

things to look out for on the new rig, radflow adjustable front coils, mile marker winch , whitson metal works custom roof rack and more.....

Main Line Overland

08-06-2012, 06:30 PM

We remember seeing those pics all over the car blogs a bit ago, glad no one was hurt! Good Luck with the new build!

dorton

08-06-2012, 10:00 PM

That has got to be one of the coolest(not for you) stories I've seen in a while. I had spotted the photos here and there a couple times, but had not read the story.
Thanks!

CYi5

08-06-2012, 10:19 PM

Man, what a great survival story! Really happy to see another well put together 4runner join the community. It's always fun building a new rig and reading what you have in store, looks like it will be a blast!

Theizzardking

08-08-2012, 02:53 PM

thanks guys! yeah it been a heck of a headache, cost me about 4~5k when it was all said and done if not a tad more in trying to get the maintenance on the new one up to par. most of that though was taxes and licensing on the new one (2.1k), funny how insurance doesn't take that into consideration, oh well, such is the state of life eh?

here's a few pics of the new ones to tide you guys over until i can put together something that is worth a read, i doubt however it'll be as good as the top gear thread the other one went out on. hahaha.
http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m194/THEIZZARDKING/DSC00259.jpg
http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m194/THEIZZARDKING/DSC00256.jpg
http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m194/THEIZZARDKING/DSC00255.jpg

and a little unseen video of the smashed truck i haven't shown anyone yet, haha, i plan on one day splicing all of the pics and vids together to tell the story, but i just bought a new house,planning a wedding, and am trying to get my truck back to where it was before the accident so i got alot on my plate right now so it'll be a bit, lol, but anyways ...here's the intial walk around before we drove it back into town
click below these are videos
http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m194/THEIZZARDKING/th_VIDEO0005.jpg (http://s104.photobucket.com/albums/m194/THEIZZARDKING/?action=view&current=VIDEO0005.mp4)

and me playing around for a second...forgive the language,lol, we were all in shock and awe at that point, lol
http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m194/THEIZZARDKING/th_VIDEO0006.jpg (http://s104.photobucket.com/albums/m194/THEIZZARDKING/?action=view&current=VIDEO0006.mp4)

so yeah there you go a little something extra , i had a really good time at the rally and since it was an expo portal thing thought i should post over here a bit more instead of being a lurker, haha,
take care guys and thanks again for the good thoughts and well wishes, makes me proud of our off road community we got here!

Theizzardking

08-08-2012, 03:03 PM

Man, what a great survival story! Really happy to see another well put together 4runner join the community. It's always fun building a new rig and reading what you have in store, looks like it will be a blast!

oh hey i just got my fcc tech licenses , kf7wvu, i tend to monitor 220,440 , i just picked up a TH-F6A and am learning how to use it, i plan on getting a proper radio for my house/car in a bit, got any advice on a good mobile multiband unit with a remote face? i really want something capable of dx'ing with once i get general class, like i said im new, but for some reason really think i want to be on the 6meter band and some of the vhf channels, again i'm an idiot and just learning so let me know if i'm chasing my tail here or if i'm heading in the right direction (i was looking at the icom7000 but heard about heat issues...got a comparable rig to look at?)